Lazio set up Coppa Italia final with Inter after penalty shootout triumph against Atalanta

[p]These two sides locked horns seven weeks after a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lazio/URcSl02h/"]La Dea[/a] aiming to improve on a sequence of just two wins in their previous 10 games across all competitions heading into this clash.[/p][p]Despite that poor run, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/palladino-raffaele/619UPLrb/"]Raffaele Palladino[/a]’s men began brightly and were doing most of the early probing here in Bergamo.[/p][p]Clear-cut chances were at a premium, though, the best of which came when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zalewski-nicola/Slt8hI4R/"]Nicola Zalewski[/a]’s shot was deflected wide after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-ketelaere-charles/2eOa3r1T/"]Charles De Ketelaere[/a] brought down [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bernasconi-lorenzo/n1B8h20h/"]Lorenzo Bernasconi[/a]’s ball into the box. [/p][p]Lazio barely threatened themselves, with their only chance of note coming when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/basic-toma/6qDIoDqa/"]Toma Bašić[/a] headed well over the target from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zaccagni-mattia/MJ7sACQ8/"]Mattia Zaccagni[/a]’s free-kick.[/p][p]With so much at stake, it was perhaps unsurprising that both sides mustered only a solitary shot on target between them heading into half time.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="976c4886-f3fe-4ee9-8b49-b4a4a93bf99e" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="f9d66c6a-fdc6-4979-840a-a55dceaf7484" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atalanta/8C9JjMXu/"]Atalanta[/a] continued to look the more likely of the two sides to strike first on the night, and were controversially denied an opener just past the hour mark.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ederson/fqEsbNyA/"]Éderson[/a] netted from close range, but a VAR review determined that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/motta-edoardo/ATMse0OQ/"]Edoardo Motta[/a] already had two hands on the ball when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krstovic-nikola/4CvqRml2/"]Nikola Krstović[/a] picked out the Brazilian.[/p][p]It was a huge reprieve for the Biancocelesti, who could have easily conceded a penalty in the build-up had [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gila-mario/dQqXDhtf/"]Mario Gila[/a] been penalised for a handball offence. [/p][p]Lazio had a handball shout of their own turned down against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scalvini-giorgio/hvC4gron/"]Giorgio Scalvini[/a] before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noslin-tijjani/Uma3vLeI/"]Tijjani Noslin[/a]’s left-footed shot went wide, and the Dutchman then had another attempt blocked by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pasalic-mario/ld4iyqYa/"]Mario Pašalić[/a].[/p][p][b]However, the visitors scored what looked to have been the decisive goal of the tie when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/romagnoli-alessio/Wr49C0j4/"]Alessio Romagnoli[/a] converted a brilliant first-time left-footed effort from Zaccagni’s corner. [/b][/p][p][b]But Pašalić restored parity a mere two minutes later when Krstović laid the ball into the path of the Croatian to fire a deflected strike past Motta.[/b][/p][embed guid="12c6efc1-8ef5-40e8-be99-dea9f5ab207c" url="https://x.com/SerieA_EN/status/2047054792279630245" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Lazio goalkeeper then made an outstanding save to push [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scamacca-gianluca/vDgQxOYl/"]Gianluca Scamacca[/a]’s header onto the post, as this absorbing contest went to ET.[/p][p]The road to Rome was looking clearer for Atalanta when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raspadori-giacomo/GlZEnTQr/"]Giacomo Raspadori[/a] headed the hosts back in front in the 96th minute, but an offside call against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zappacosta-davide/G6AuiwvH/"]Davide Zappacosta[/a] in the build-up meant the goal was disallowed.[/p][p]There was little else to report in a cagey additional 30 minutes, as a nerve-shredding penalty shootout beckoned.[/p][p]Motta would take centre stage in the shootout, producing a virtuoso display to incredibly make four penalty saves in succession, denying [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tavares-nuno/pY6E7S2D/"]Nuno Tavares[/a], Scamacca, Pašalić and De Ketelaere to send Maurizio Sarri’s men through to the final.[/p][embed guid="1ab1d459-b277-48a8-9078-9f19b49104c0" url="https://x.com/SerieA_EN/status/2047070195827548556" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Biancocelesti will now be hoping to win this competition for an eighth time, and the first since emerging victorious in the 2018/19 campaign, when they face the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Nerazzurri[/a] on May 13th.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/motta-edoardo/ATMse0OQ/"]Edoardo Motta[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lazio/URcSl02h/"]Lazio[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/atalanta-8C9JjMXu/lazio-URcSl02h/?mid=UTn2mTd2"]See all the stats from the match here[/a][/b][/p]